50 Books Every Geek Should Read

Tech History

“Revolution in The Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made,” Andy Hertzfeld
The story behind the development of the Mac, told by the engineers that actually built it. The first-person accounts in Revolution in the Valley are mostly Hertzfeld’s, and they evolved in super link-heavy form on folklore.org where they’re still available today. Drop by and brush up on your old-school Mac trivia, or just have fun killing a few minutes paging through this bit of tech history.

“The Soul of a New Machine,” Tracy Kidder
Both a chronicle of tech history – Data General’s race to design a competitor to DEC’s VAX – and an examination of tech workplace culture, “The Soul of a new Machine” will feel very familiar to anyone who’s worked late nights and weekends to get a product done on time.

“Where Wizards Stay Up Late,” Hafner and Lyon
Essential history of how the Internet grew out of the Defense Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency network (ARAPANET). You won’t find much about Al Gore in here, but you will get to dig into lots of neat little details like how the @ symbol was chosen for e-mail addresses.